A Nation Divided

The election results of the president of Venezuela have come to all but a close as 99% have been counted and it appears as though Hugo Chavez's protege, Nicolas Maduro, has won.  It was a close race with Maduro receiving 50.6% of the vote and his opponent, Henrique Capriles Radonski, receiving 49.1%.  Capriles ordered for a recount and said that there would be no recognized result until so.  It was surprising that it came this close considering the country's admiration of the late Hugo Chavez so naturally his political heir should have been welcomed with the same appreciation.  The anti-American stance that won Chavez his seat was carried on by Maduro but it looks as though Maduro will be flip-flopping by notifying the former governor of New Mexico who was in Caracas as a representative of the Organization of American Statest that  'We want to improve the relationship with the U.S., regularize the relationship,'.  Venezuela has huge oil reserves making them a key player in the eyes of the U.S. who rely heavily on OPEC but the Venezuelan's connection to Cuba and favor towards socialism has made relations difficult.  Also, Maduro does not have the same political charisma that Chavez had, making it hard to keep his people in line.  The military has already said they do not feel as loyal to him as they did Chavez.  However, there may be a recount and Capriles may come out on top, but if not then Maduro is going to have to make a choice between gaining a very powerful ally in the U.S. or maintaining the respect of his supporters.

Neuman, William. New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast) [New York, N.Y] 15 Apr 2013: A.1.

By:  Adam Sehr